


it doesn't make a difference (if we make it or not)

by symbionic



Category: Mythic Quest
Genre: Friendly Bickering, actually thanks to everyone who has indulged my interest, also GAY RIGHTS, and for inspiring me to be productive, be warned for self indulgence galore, but anyway big thanks to holly and aleix and lee and also seb for being the lights in this fandom, hope yall like it, i think there's an unintentional ship vibe that i didnt account for, lets say it's ambiguous and leave it at that, really just a bit of fun banter and headbutting, when i write characters i let them have a mind of their own
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:06:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22226848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/symbionic/pseuds/symbionic
Summary: Poppy is working on a bug she can't seem to fix, Ian isn't happy with her display of unprofessionalism.Then the tables turn.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	it doesn't make a difference (if we make it or not)

**Author's Note:**

> hi! I'm neko, you can find me at @sunnykeysmash (for iasip) and @ian-grimm (for mythic quest) on tumblr, plus at @rnacden on twitter for literally everything!  
> English is my second language so I hope there are no hiccups.  
> Please enjoy!

Poppy slammed her head onto her desk, a quiet sob escaping into her hands.

She had been working all day, every day, tirelessly, because Ian had put her on bug fixing duty, and it was just as tedious as one could imagine. One bug in particular was proving to be particularly difficult to deal with, taking her a month or more to figure out, and still counting. She couldn't take it anymore.

And, speak of the devil, there was Ian now, towering over her. She didn't need to raise her head to feel his imposing self obsessed presence looming on her, and his eyes piercing her frame as it shook once more.

"What the hell do you want, Ian, can't you see I'm busy?" she blurted, voice muffled and strained.

"I can see," he replied sarcastically "very busy not doing your job…".

The girl inhaled sharply and met his expectant eyes with her own exasperated expression. He was holding a finger to his mouth, almost pensive.

She scoffed. "Get off my back, I've been slaving all day at this. You know, if it weren't for me, this company would've tanked long ago."

Ian sputtered, outraged.

He walked closer to her, splaying his hands on his hips in the process. "For _you_? Oh that's cute, that's real cute, but you know," he started counting on his fingers "I own this company, I founded it, and I made it what it is today, which is uh, a total success! No thanks to you, slacker." he finished.

Poppy brought a hand to her face, rubbing her temple. She sighed.

"Alright, smart guy, let's see _you_ fix this bug then."

Ian blinked. "This, uh, this what?"

"The bug, genius, the one I've been toiling over all day - no, all month. Let's see _you_ solve it, magic hands." she smirked, having cornered her opponent.

"Well, uh, I pay _you_ to do it, why would I do it…"

Poppy slapped Ian's chest with the back of her hand, with a dry laugh. "So you do need me."

"Never said I needed you, in fact, I -"

Poppy got up from her squeaky chair and gestured towards it.

Ian's brows furrowed. "What are you doing?"

"Show me what you got." the girl smiled patting her chair, and although it didn't look snide, Ian felt mocked, so he sat down with a huff.

He hovered his hand on the mouse, the monitor screen reflecting on his big brown eyes.

He cleared his throat. "What's the problem, exactly?"

"You need me to tell you?" she inquired "Or can you figure it out on your own?".

Ian pouted.

"I can totally figure it out." he waved a hand at her "you're dismissed, go get me a cappuccino or something."

So she went, a pleased smile forming on her lips as she realized she just got her boss to do her hard work for her. Pretty smart, she had to admit.

* * *

Days passed, then a week.

Poppy was enjoying her new coffee-bringer duty, patting herself on the back everytime she caught a glimpse of Ian scratching his head in distress or confusion. She would've probably felt pity had he not been a huge jerk most of the time.

This was some well needed karma, and a nice change of pace for the entire office.

In fact, as he was busy withering at the computer, the rest of the gang seemed to be thriving, happiness was at an all time high with Ian never having the time to reprimand or scold them.

Poppy couldn't help but feel a little proud at the accomplishment.

That day however, as she was entering the open space offices, something out of the ordinary caught her attention.

Ian was sitting at the usual desk, chewing on a pencil while looking mindlessly at the ceiling, and most importantly, blasting _Livin' On A Prayer_ by Bon Jovi at full volume, so much so that Poppy was sure her jacket could've flied off if she got closer.

"What's this?" Poppy gestured widely, raising her voice over the music.

Ian didn't budge an inch. "Thinking."

She stared at him, unconvinced.

"About _what_?"

Ian scoffed and grabbed the pencil with two fingers, taking it out of his mouth. He turned towards her.

"I was picturing the code in my head, you know, like the visionary I am," he held the pencil almost like a cigarette "doesn't matter, you interrupted."

Poppy pressed her lips, taken aback. "Well, uh, sorry, I guess. How's the… working going?" she said, tentatively, voice still loud.

Ian laid his head deep in his hand as he positioned his elbow on the desk.

"I gotta be honest, Poppy, as great as I am with this… stuff, I have no idea what the bug is."

The girl squeaked in disbelief.

"Wait, oh my god, you haven't even found the bug?" she leaned forward to check the computer out as Ian finally lowered the volume of the music.

"It's a tough one, I usually get them done real quick, I guarantee. Believe me."

"Of course," Poppy rolled her eyes "let me check it out." she went for the keyboard, but Ian hogged it.

"Hold on, who said I was done?" he jumped, defensively.

Poppy inhaled. "Don't be childish, you clearly don't know what-"

"Don't call me childish, I'm your superior." he frowned.

"Sure you are. Ok now, let me see." she grabbed the mouse from his feeble grip and scrolled through the lines and lines of written code, then checked the other programs and finally the servers.

As she did so, Ian found himself squirming in his chair, shifting ever so slightly, keenly aware of the silence and the small distance between them.

He coughed. "So, uh, how are things going with your… girl?"

"My what?" she stopped to turn to him.

"Your crush or whatever, I overheard you talking the other day. I'm sure you didn't notice me, I can be real sneaky, but uh, I didn't mean to eavesdrop that one time. It happened, though. So… what about her?" his voice rose slightly at the tension.

She focused on the computer again, letting some time pass, letting the question hang in the air. The screen reflecting on her glasses, hiding most of her eyes.

"Well, you know, it's not easy. I'm not… out." she answered, barely above a whisper, almost looking self conscious.

"Oh that's fine, I'm not either."

Poppy's eyes widened significantly. She turned again.

Ian raised his hands. "Yeah, yeah. Don't make a big deal. I certainly don't."

She furrowed her brows. "Then why aren't you out?"

Ian stared at her, then bit his lip and glanced around the room.

"As I said, I don't like to make a big deal about it, plus, the company, I-"

"You're afraid for the sales?"

"I- no! God, don't question me, I didn't interrogate you. I'm fine as I am. And if a nice guy ever comes I'll just go talk to him, because it's _not_ a big deal." he crossed his arms "I'm not afraid of anything."

She gave him a pitiful look and a half smile.

"Alright." she conceded, gently.

Then, she changed the subject. "About the bug, though…"

Ian leaned forward, suddenly interested. Welcoming the change. 

Poppy gave a couple firm clicks to the mouse then smiled triumphantly at him.

"All fixed."

Ian's jaw dropped. 

Just as he secretly expected from her, her brilliance was the reason he hired her after all.

"Amazing." he commented "I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Yah, you shouldn't have." she smirked self assuredly "And you do need me!"

"Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves now, I was just about to-"

"Come on! You hadn't even started! You were listening to Bon Jovi for crying out loud!" she snapped.

"Hey! Bon Jovi is a great source of inspiration. But…" he stopped, looking serious "yeah, you're right." he breathed, solemnly.

"I'm glad you work for me." he smiled warmly.

She smiled back. "You're a real pain in the ass." she gave a gentle knock to his shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are deeply appreciated!


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